Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) Shares Sold by Securian Asset Management Inc.

Securian Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in Lear Co. (NYSE:LEA) by 6.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,108 shares of the auto parts company’s stock after selling 266 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Lear were worth $389,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lear by 187.0% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 287 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Lear in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Addison Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Lear by 68.2% in the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 338 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Lear by 233.3% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 410 shares of the auto parts company’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Lear in the third quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.04% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rod Lache acquired 2,178 shares of Lear stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $91.80 per share, for a total transaction of $199,940.40. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,178 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $199,940.40. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.79% of the company’s stock.

Lear Price Performance

Shares of LEA stock opened at $96.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a PE ratio of 10.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.23 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Lear Co. has a twelve month low of $86.28 and a twelve month high of $147.11.

Lear (NYSE:LEA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The auto parts company reported $2.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.50 by $0.44. Lear had a net margin of 2.17% and a return on equity of 14.70%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Lear Co. will post 12.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Lear Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 6th will be paid a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 6th. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Lear’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Lear from $104.00 to $102.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Lear from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Cowen lowered shares of Lear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Lear from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $95.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Lear from $147.00 to $143.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.36.

Lear Company Profile

Lear Corporation designs, develops, engineers, manufactures, assembles, and supplies automotive seating, and electrical distribution systems and related components for automotive original equipment manufacturers in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America. Its Seating segment offers seat systems, seat subsystems, keyseat components, seat trim covers, seat mechanisms, seat foams, and headrests, as well as surface materials, such as leather and fabric for automobiles and light trucks, compact cars, pick-up trucks, and sport utility vehicles.